WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Good morning. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:09.279 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church. 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.000 And it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.059 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:18.100 We're glad that you're here. 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:22.559 And we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:26.400 but because we're following Jesus together as one community. 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:31.519 And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good, 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:35.899 they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it. 00:00:36.379 --> 00:00:41.879 Which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word. 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:46.780 This morning we're continuing our series in the book of Romans. 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:52.820 And you'll remember that Romans is a letter written by the Apostle Paul in the 50s AD. 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:56.640 And it is called Romans for a very simple reason, 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:01.719 which is that Paul writes it as a letter to the churches in the city of Rome. 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:04.219 This letter is about the gospel. 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:08.159 It's about the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:11.740 And Paul's hope, as he stated back in chapter 1, 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:15.200 is that these churches would be established in the gospel. 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:20.960 And we'll see, as we already have, many applications as we go throughout this letter. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:27.759 But we'll also see that Paul is especially concerned with the mission and the unity of the church. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:34.000 And while there are many spokes, we will go off exploring all sorts of topics. 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:38.539 We will constantly be returning back to the hub of the gospel. 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:42.459 Now, I think I mentioned this a couple weeks ago. 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:45.799 We are nearing the end of this section of Romans. 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:49.579 And we're going to take the book of Romans, this letter, in chunks. 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:52.659 And so next week, we're going to finish chapter 3. 00:01:52.899 --> 00:01:54.939 And when we finish chapter 3, we're going to break. 00:01:55.579 --> 00:01:56.840 And we're going to do some other things. 00:01:56.899 --> 00:02:00.780 We probably will not return to chapter 4 of the book of Romans 00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:04.879 until sometime, maybe middle to fall of 2025. 00:02:05.679 --> 00:02:07.739 So I just don't want you guys to be caught off guard next week 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:10.939 when I say, hey, this is our last sermon in Romans. 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:16.439 And so we're coming to the end of this three-chapter argument that Paul's been making. 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.859 Remember, I've been telling you that it's summed up in verse 23, 00:02:19.859 --> 00:02:21.400 which we looked at last week. 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.560 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:02:26.359 --> 00:02:28.759 Paul's been looking at this from every angle. 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:33.599 He's been turning the diamond to make sure that we have no excuse, 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:39.079 no way that we could refute his proposition, his claim here. 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:43.040 And so now that we're at the end, we've come finally to the good news. 00:02:44.180 --> 00:02:48.820 Paul is proving this over and over so that he can say what also appears 00:02:48.820 --> 00:02:51.420 in verse 23 from last week. 00:02:51.600 --> 00:02:52.340 No, verse 24. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.320 And are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 00:02:59.160 --> 00:03:04.520 In other words, Paul has been preparing us to hear the good news of the gospel. 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:11.020 And so it's with that I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 4, verses 25 and 26. 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:14.379 This is two verses, and it might not seem like much. 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:16.939 They're actually quite dense and rich. 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:22.120 And so we're going to go through them the same way Andy went through the previous verses last week. 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.580 We're going to just go through them step by step. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:28.500 Okay, I'm going to go through it systematically through these two texts. 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:32.340 And as you hear me say, oh, this is rich and dense, you might be thinking, oh no, 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:34.699 what are we about to get ourselves into? 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:37.479 And so I'll also provide you some encouragement. 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:44.219 Pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones, who is famous for his decade-plus-long exposition in the book of Romans, 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:46.900 says this about verses 25 and 26. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:54.139 In many senses, there are no more important verses in the whole range and realm of Scripture 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:56.740 than these two verses. 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:02.020 And so we're going to see why he says that this morning. 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:03.840 Very simple truths. 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:06.639 We'll see God's mercy and his wrath. 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:08.180 Most of all, we're going to see the gospel. 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:11.560 Simple, full, and free. 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.779 And so I invite you to turn with me now to Romans chapter 3, starting at verse 25. 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:19.300 You can turn in your worship guide. 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:21.579 You can turn on your phone. 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:23.660 You can turn in your Bible. 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:27.459 No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word. 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:30.379 In Proverbs 30, verse 5 tells us, 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:32.639 Every word of God proves true. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:37.479 He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:42.399 And so that's why we read now Romans chapter 3, starting at verse 25. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:50.439 Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:58.299 This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:09.360 It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that how he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:14.480 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:23.360 Our Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you as we do every week that you have given us these words, your words. 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:28.660 That you speak to us, that you haven't left us to figure out life on our own. 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:40.540 And we confess as we come to your word this morning that both the speaker and the hearers are feeble and frail and faltering. 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:44.200 That we lack many things. 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:47.200 That our minds don't work as they should. 00:05:47.940 --> 00:05:53.060 Our hearts are often dry and hard when they should be soft and open. 00:05:53.060 --> 00:05:58.560 And so really we confess this morning that we need your help as we do every day. 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:04.180 So we ask that you would pour out your Holy Spirit among us now this morning in a special way. 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:07.540 And that you would use it in spite of us. 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.819 To show us the great glory and beauty of Jesus Christ. 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:14.660 And we ask these things in his mighty name. 00:06:15.340 --> 00:06:15.579 Amen. 00:06:15.579 --> 00:06:15.759 Amen. 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:23.819 You might be a little bit annoyed when I read this. 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.479 Because you saw verse 25 begins with the word whom. 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:31.399 Which is probably not how you like your sentences to begin. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:34.699 And in fact you might be wondering who whom. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:37.379 Who in the world are we talking about here? 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:40.279 We are in fact picking up mid-sentence. 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:43.439 Although some people believe this should be a new sentence. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:47.040 From what Andy showed us in verse 24. 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:49.620 And verse 24 basically says this. 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:53.120 Look you're saved and you are saved by Jesus. 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:58.139 And so that whom in verse 25 is simply referring back to Jesus. 00:06:58.860 --> 00:06:59.680 So verse 24. 00:06:59.860 --> 00:07:01.079 You're saved by Jesus. 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:02.600 Verse 25. 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:07.540 Let's learn more about Jesus and this salvation. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.439 The very first thing we learn about Jesus and his salvation. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:16.199 Is that he is the one whom God put forward. 00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:19.519 And so I want us to pause for a second. 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:20.680 Even as we're just beginning. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.959 And think about this question. 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:29.259 What does it mean to be a good father? 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:37.159 What does it mean to be a good father? 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:38.899 You might think of a number of things. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:40.500 We could go on for a long time. 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:42.839 It could involve talking about planning. 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:44.879 About discipline. 00:07:45.659 --> 00:07:50.680 About sacrifice for the good of a son or a daughter. 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:57.019 The very first thing Paul tells us in this verse when it comes to Jesus. 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:04.460 Is that the plan of salvation was the plan of God the Father. 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:10.340 The plan of salvation was the plan of God the Father. 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:12.500 Now if you're familiar with the Christian faith. 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:13.960 You know that we speak about the Trinity. 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:19.079 Which is that God is a one God in three persons. 00:08:19.599 --> 00:08:20.879 And there's a unity right? 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:22.199 Because there's one God. 00:08:22.299 --> 00:08:25.879 There's a unity of purpose and direction and action. 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:28.579 But different parts of the Trinity. 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:32.220 The different persons play different roles. 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:35.659 Jesus was the one who died. 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:36.579 Not God the Father. 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.420 So Paul is telling us. 00:08:41.180 --> 00:08:45.700 That when it comes to God's plan to save his people. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.639 God the Father was the initiator. 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:56.300 God the Father was the one who set out the plan. 00:08:57.520 --> 00:08:58.540 And so there's unity. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:00.280 Right? 00:09:00.420 --> 00:09:01.759 One God, three persons. 00:09:02.400 --> 00:09:03.560 And there's distinction. 00:09:03.900 --> 00:09:06.200 There's distinction in what it is they do. 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.320 In accomplishing redemption. 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:10.360 Remember. 00:09:11.280 --> 00:09:12.800 What Paul teaches. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.960 Jesus taught first. 00:09:17.140 --> 00:09:19.840 So you'll remember Jesus' words from Mark chapter 14. 00:09:20.259 --> 00:09:21.780 This is Jesus talking to his Father. 00:09:23.160 --> 00:09:25.580 Abba Father, all things are possible for you. 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:28.220 Remove this cup from me. 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:30.680 Yet not what I will. 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:33.020 But what you will. 00:09:33.019 --> 00:09:37.460 First John tells us. 00:09:38.079 --> 00:09:39.740 This is speaking about God the Father. 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:44.179 We love because he first loved us. 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:48.919 Brothers and sisters, the point is this. 00:09:50.319 --> 00:09:58.120 Jesus did not die to convince God the Father to love you. 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:06.720 Jesus did not die to convince God the Father to love you. 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:08.580 No. 00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:15.539 God the Father sent Jesus because he already did. 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:23.960 God the Father sent Jesus because he already did. 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:27.960 So the application for us is this. 00:10:29.160 --> 00:10:37.120 We give thanks to God for how good and generous and loving of a father he is. 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:46.159 We thank God for how good and generous and loving of a father he is. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:51.659 The gospel is the news of the world is destroying itself over sin. 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:55.480 That's part of what we've seen in chapters 1 through 3. 00:10:55.480 --> 00:11:02.460 The gospel also tells us that the one person who is most offended and hurt by sin, 00:11:02.800 --> 00:11:04.279 that is God himself, 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:08.539 is the one who comes and cleans it up. 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:13.480 Whom God put forward. 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:18.800 God did not see something good in you 00:11:18.800 --> 00:11:22.300 and then decide to save you. 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:29.359 No, God saw you in the mess and destruction of your sin 00:11:29.359 --> 00:11:33.339 and came to clean it up. 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:38.599 What a great father. 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:42.479 We might think of the words of Psalm 103, 00:11:43.479 --> 00:11:46.379 as a father shows compassion to his children, 00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:52.039 so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 00:11:52.299 --> 00:12:01.859 Now, I don't know what your earthly father was like or is like. 00:12:03.219 --> 00:12:08.899 Maybe he found other things much more interesting than you. 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:17.339 Maybe he was characterized by selfishness rather than selflessness. 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:23.000 Maybe he was amazing and loving and kind. 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:30.519 And yet in that he was flawed and imperfect as every father is. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:34.220 But he pointed 00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:38.160 to a picture of our heavenly father. 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:41.919 We're in the season of Advent now, 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:45.719 which is the celebration of Jesus' first coming. 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:49.620 And why did Jesus have a first coming? 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:53.219 Verse 25, 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.519 because God put him forward. 00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:04.439 We find out the same thing in John 3, verse 16. 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:08.500 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, 00:13:09.259 --> 00:13:11.980 that whoever believes in him should not perish, 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:15.120 but have eternal life. 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:26.940 It's important for us to see God's love in that, 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:31.279 because now Paul's going to immediately turn to God's wrath. 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:33.799 Same verse, verse 25. 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:35.639 Okay, God put him forward. 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:36.519 He sent him. 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:38.019 What did he send him to do? 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:42.500 As a propitiation by his blood. 00:13:42.500 --> 00:13:45.379 Now, I'm sure that most of you 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:48.980 use the word propitiation on a daily basis, 00:13:49.940 --> 00:13:53.259 but I'm afraid there's a few of you here today that do not. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:55.940 So I'm going to ask those of you who use it all the time 00:13:55.940 --> 00:13:57.720 to be patient as I explain it. 00:13:59.419 --> 00:14:00.879 Propitiation, I joke, 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.419 is a technical theological term, 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:06.940 which means this, according to John Stott, 00:14:07.139 --> 00:14:09.940 to propitiate someone means to appease 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:12.379 or pacify his anger. 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:16.919 So to propitiate is to satisfy the wrath of God. 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:18.820 Another person puts it this way. 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:25.539 Propitiation is when Jesus turns God's wrath against us into favor. 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:32.159 Propitiation, Jesus turns God's wrath against us into favor. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:36.899 We're getting then to what we don't like to talk about 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:40.200 and what many people find offensive about the Christian faith, 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:41.600 the Christian idea of God, 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.960 is that God would somehow have wrath. 00:14:45.900 --> 00:14:52.440 Why would we want to serve a God who has wrath and anger in this way? 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:57.020 In fact, doesn't that sound like something that's beneath God or below him? 00:14:58.019 --> 00:14:59.360 And when we do that, 00:14:59.419 --> 00:15:02.600 often we confuse the idea of the triune God, 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:03.579 the God of the Bible, 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.259 with what we learn about other gods that we're told about in history. 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:10.939 So people often think about the Greek gods that we see in the Iliad. 00:15:11.059 --> 00:15:13.079 Their feelings are easily hurt. 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:15.259 They're capricious. 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:18.659 They need to be bribed or bought off. 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:20.480 They need their egos stroked. 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:24.139 And so when we hear the word wrath, we often think of that. 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:27.120 Oh, God is like, the God of the Bible is like those gods. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:28.460 He's easily angered. 00:15:28.659 --> 00:15:30.460 He needs his ego stroked. 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:32.740 He needs to be bought off somehow. 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:34.559 No. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:40.120 God's wrath is very, very different. 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:46.340 The wrath of the God of the Bible is very different than the wrath of any other God. 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:57.700 God's wrath is his focused, clear, principled opposition to evil. 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:06.259 God's wrath is his stance towards everything that is wrong with this world. 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:09.620 You'll see this on the back of your worship guide. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:21.740 The wrath of God is his steady, unrelenting, unremitting, uncompromising antagonism to evil 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:25.740 in all its forms and manifestations. 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:33.460 In short, God's anger is poles apart from ours. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.139 What provokes our anger, injured vanity, 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:41.539 never provokes his. 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:49.419 What provokes his evil seldom provokes ours. 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:58.039 God has wrath because God hates what is evil in this world. 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:02.779 Would you want any other type of God? 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.200 A woman named Becky Pippert in her book, Hope Has Its Reason, says this, 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:14.160 God's wrath is not a cranky explosion. 00:17:14.600 --> 00:17:20.840 A cranky explosion, what we would expect of other gods, of pagan gods, of the Greek gods. 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:27.559 Not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer, 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:35.299 which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being. 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:43.899 God's wrath is his settled opposition to the cancer, 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:49.500 which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves. 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:54.480 God hates evil. 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.819 And not only does God hate evil, 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:01.480 he's determined to do something about it. 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:05.660 What Paul teaches, 00:18:06.860 --> 00:18:08.620 Jesus taught first. 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:12.420 Remember Jesus' words from Matthew chapter 10. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.500 Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:23.720 Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:27.839 I told you earlier, 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:33.400 we give thanks for how loving and good and generous God is. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:38.519 And now I'm going to tell you something that might sound a little counterintuitive. 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:42.400 We give thanks for God's wrath. 00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:46.420 Because his wrath means this, 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:50.720 he refuses to let evil win. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:52.720 We give thanks for God's wrath. 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.600 We give thanks for God's wrath. 00:18:54.600 --> 00:18:56.620 We give thanks for God's wrath. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:01.759 Because he refuses to let evil win. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:09.259 Paul goes on to tell us, 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:11.880 not just that he destroys the cancer 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.779 that's eating the inside of the human race. 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:19.480 He tells us how God does this. 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:22.200 Same verse, verse 25. 00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:24.359 By his blood. 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:30.420 By his blood reminds us that sin has a price, 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:31.379 has a cost. 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:33.879 And that cost is death. 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:37.720 It's the same thing Paul's going to tell us later on. 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:39.240 Romans chapter 6. 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:42.019 For the wages of sin is death, 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:47.960 but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:52.200 And what Paul teaches, 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:54.640 Jesus taught first. 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:57.160 Matthew chapter 20. 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.500 Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:02.500 but to serve, 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:07.180 and to give his life as a ransom for many. 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:14.799 We praise God for how good and generous and great a father he is. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.160 We praise him for his wrath. 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:24.080 Because he refuses to let evil win. 00:20:28.080 --> 00:20:30.779 Verse 25 continues and says this. 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:34.080 This was to show God's righteousness 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:37.240 because in his divine forbearance, 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:40.019 he had passed over former sins. 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:42.339 That's a strange sentence. 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:43.759 You might be wondering, 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:46.419 wait, I thought that God punishes every sin. 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.759 What does it mean that he passed over sins? 00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:51.419 We'll start at the beginning. 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:53.619 It says it's to show God's righteousness. 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:56.139 Here it's talking about God's character. 00:20:56.140 --> 00:21:01.380 And so Paul is telling us God is the most just. 00:21:02.080 --> 00:21:07.000 There is no one who is more just or more righteous than God. 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:09.160 But here's the catch. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:13.220 And this is what he's referring to when he says he had passed over former sins. 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:19.840 The former sins is referring to the sins of God's people in the Old Testament. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:25.500 God forgave the sins of his people in the Old Testament. 00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:28.980 In other words, he passed over them. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:33.980 But Jesus had not yet died. 00:21:36.199 --> 00:21:38.799 Okay, so if Jesus doesn't die 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:41.559 and these sins have been forgiven, 00:21:42.299 --> 00:21:43.379 something's wrong. 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:47.620 God has not been a just judge, if that's true, 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:52.220 because he's let someone off with no one being punished. 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.700 One theologian explains it this way. 00:21:56.360 --> 00:21:59.520 Think of the sins of God's people of the Old Testament 00:21:59.520 --> 00:22:01.520 as being put on a credit card. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.020 When Jesus died, the credit card was paid off. 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:13.100 Those sins were forgiven in the Old Testament, 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:15.179 looking forward to Christ. 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:19.919 The sacrifices did not pay for them. 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:26.179 Okay, the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to something else. 00:22:27.379 --> 00:22:28.679 When Christ died, 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.879 the sins of God's people in the Old Testament, 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.559 the punishment was paid in full. 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:37.539 The point is this. 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:41.619 God will pay for what he has bought. 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:47.019 God will pay for what he has bought, 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.859 and that shows his righteousness. 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:52.339 That's simply what Paul is saying here. 00:22:52.919 --> 00:22:54.619 He's saying when we look at God, 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:56.679 this is the kind of God he is. 00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:00.419 He's impartial, he's fair, he's just. 00:23:00.919 --> 00:23:02.079 He doesn't say, 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:05.960 some people receive punishment for their sins and others don't. 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:07.639 He doesn't say, 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:10.299 well, people in the Old Testament could be forgiven, 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.859 they didn't need Jesus to die, 00:23:11.939 --> 00:23:14.000 but now people in the Old Testament need Jesus to die. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:15.819 No, Paul is saying, 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:19.460 no matter what angle we take in looking at God the Father, 00:23:19.639 --> 00:23:22.779 he is perfectly and fully just. 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:26.759 In our Old Testament reading that Scott read for us, 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:28.480 Exodus chapter 12, 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:31.399 it's the image of God's people leaving Egypt, 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:34.879 and the firstborn of every family is killed, 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:40.399 except for the houses that have blood on the doorpost. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:45.759 What Paul is saying is that that blood on the doorpost, 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:47.600 that was monopoly money. 00:23:50.259 --> 00:23:52.980 Jesus' death was the real money. 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:59.740 That blood merely represented what was true and real, 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:01.820 the death of Christ. 00:24:03.600 --> 00:24:05.040 John chapter one, 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:07.980 what does John the Baptist say when he sees Jesus? 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:11.880 Behold the Lamb of God 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:16.420 who takes away the sins of the world. 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:21.360 Larger point is this. 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:24.680 God doesn't play favorites. 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:29.220 God is not a judge 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:31.420 who gives some people, 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:32.880 lets some people off easy 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:36.839 and then gives others harsher punishments. 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:42.480 No, God is completely and ruthlessly fair. 00:24:43.919 --> 00:24:46.720 That's what Paul's going to go on to tell us in verse 26. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.559 It was to show his righteousness at the present time 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:52.519 so that he might be just 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:57.240 and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:00.419 And Paul's simply saying this, 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.679 God is not a corrupt judge. 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:08.000 He is perfectly just in everything he does. 00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:14.220 And so every sin is going to be paid for in some way. 00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:18.420 It will be paid for by the person who committed it 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:20.380 or it will be paid for by Jesus. 00:25:21.860 --> 00:25:25.060 And because every sin will be paid for, 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:27.680 those of God's people in the Old Testament, 00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:29.500 those of God's people in the New Testament, 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:32.160 and those who do not believe in Christ 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:34.400 who will receive the punishment themselves, 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:37.119 we can say nothing about God 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:39.119 except he is just. 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:43.880 And so what Paul wants us to see here 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:46.180 is the character of God. 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:48.380 It's the character of God 00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:50.759 that holds the world together. 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.799 You'll see this on page 8 of your worship guide. 00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:56.819 The moral fabric of the universe 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:58.839 would tear in pieces 00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:01.920 if God were not fair. 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:06.839 The moral fabric of the universe 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:08.319 would tear into pieces 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:10.599 if God were not fair. 00:26:10.599 --> 00:26:16.679 It was to show his righteousness 00:26:16.679 --> 00:26:18.159 at the present time 00:26:18.159 --> 00:26:19.779 so that he might be just, 00:26:20.419 --> 00:26:22.459 he might be the ultimate fair judge 00:26:22.459 --> 00:26:24.799 and the justifier of the one 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:26.759 who has faith in Jesus. 00:26:28.699 --> 00:26:29.579 Brothers and sisters, 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:31.099 this is the only option. 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:34.339 Without this, we have two bad options. 00:26:34.459 --> 00:26:36.779 We can have a God of mercy but no justice. 00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:39.759 And we can have a God of justice 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:41.180 but no mercy. 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:45.079 The only way to have a God of justice 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:46.220 and mercy 00:26:46.220 --> 00:26:49.220 is for every sin to be paid for. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:52.480 To be paid by the one who does it 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:54.700 or if we're paid for by Jesus. 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.920 We might even put it this way 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.519 in the words of Psalm 85. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:03.660 Surely his salvation is near 00:27:03.660 --> 00:27:05.000 to those who fear him 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:07.640 that glory may dwell in our land. 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:11.319 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet. 00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:13.960 Righteousness and peace 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:15.980 kiss each other. 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:19.220 That's what Paul is saying here. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:21.160 God is just. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.180 He's the only one 00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:24.480 who can make righteousness 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:26.799 and peace kiss. 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:31.819 Because he doesn't play favorites. 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:36.319 He's the great and just judge. 00:27:39.639 --> 00:27:40.960 We gave thanks to God 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:42.000 because he's a good 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:44.079 and generous and kind father. 00:27:45.919 --> 00:27:47.159 We give thanks to God 00:27:47.159 --> 00:27:47.859 for his wrath 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:50.379 because it means evil will not win. 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.899 We give thanks to God 00:27:52.899 --> 00:27:54.039 for his justice 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:56.099 because it holds 00:27:56.099 --> 00:27:58.000 our world together. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:04.099 Recently I was 00:28:04.099 --> 00:28:05.740 talking to a friend 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:06.960 and we were talking about 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:07.319 some 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:09.279 things that had happened 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.740 in the church at large 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.400 that probably should not have happened. 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:14.440 And he said this. 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.140 They will talk to God 00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:18.180 about that one day 00:28:18.180 --> 00:28:20.200 and that gives me 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:21.019 a lot of comfort. 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:25.539 They will talk to God 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:26.519 about that one day 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.920 and that gives me 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:29.160 a lot of comfort. 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:33.379 God is just. 00:28:35.379 --> 00:28:37.000 And so we can trust him 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.400 and praise him. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:42.819 Paul says one other thing here 00:28:42.819 --> 00:28:44.759 that shows up in both verses. 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:46.639 Verse 25. 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:48.160 This propitiation 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.500 is not for everyone. 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:53.200 Jesus does not satisfy 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:54.299 God's wrath 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:55.759 on behalf of every person 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:56.500 in this world. 00:28:57.460 --> 00:28:58.480 No, he does it 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:00.240 for those who are received, 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:02.180 who receive it by faith. 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:04.240 It's a propitiation 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:05.519 to be received 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:06.559 by faith. 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:08.079 And then he goes on 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:09.000 to say the same thing 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:09.980 in verse 26. 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:12.119 He's just 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:13.460 and the justifier 00:29:13.460 --> 00:29:14.379 of the one 00:29:14.379 --> 00:29:15.579 who has faith 00:29:15.579 --> 00:29:16.700 in Jesus. 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:21.779 Jesus 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:25.200 receives God's wrath 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:26.600 on behalf 00:29:26.600 --> 00:29:26.620 on behalf 00:29:26.620 --> 00:29:26.880 on behalf 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:27.700 of those 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:29.299 and only 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:30.039 those 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:31.460 who have faith 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:32.480 in him. 00:29:34.360 --> 00:29:35.160 I was talking 00:29:35.160 --> 00:29:35.920 to someone 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:36.799 who's not a Christian 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.580 recently 00:29:37.580 --> 00:29:39.059 and I explained 00:29:39.059 --> 00:29:39.480 the gospel 00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:40.840 in one of my favorite ways 00:29:40.840 --> 00:29:42.120 to help people understand 00:29:42.120 --> 00:29:42.840 which is this. 00:29:43.100 --> 00:29:43.500 First of all, 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:44.319 I start with what it is 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:45.340 that we all agree about. 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:46.319 And I said, 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:47.620 look, you and I both agree 00:29:47.620 --> 00:29:48.580 we all agree 00:29:48.580 --> 00:29:49.620 that something's wrong 00:29:49.620 --> 00:29:50.380 with this world. 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:52.820 No one 00:29:52.820 --> 00:29:53.760 is going to make 00:29:53.760 --> 00:29:54.260 the claim 00:29:54.260 --> 00:29:54.820 that this world 00:29:54.820 --> 00:29:56.300 operates as it should. 00:29:57.260 --> 00:29:58.560 Okay, we all recognize 00:29:58.560 --> 00:30:00.140 there's something broken, 00:30:00.260 --> 00:30:01.000 there's something off. 00:30:01.040 --> 00:30:01.800 We all see 00:30:01.800 --> 00:30:02.980 that there's evil. 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:04.940 So that's what we agree about. 00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:07.480 What we disagree about 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:09.240 is what the problem is 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.900 and what the solution is. 00:30:11.360 --> 00:30:12.720 That's what we disagree about. 00:30:12.840 --> 00:30:13.560 And we actually all 00:30:13.560 --> 00:30:14.400 have answers to that. 00:30:14.660 --> 00:30:15.440 We all have answers 00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:16.240 to what we think 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:17.300 the real problem is 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:18.339 and what we think 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:19.700 the solution is. 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.319 And the gospel tells us 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:23.799 what the problem is 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:24.359 and it tells us 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:25.279 what the solution is. 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:26.940 And it tells us 00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:28.460 the problem is us. 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:31.099 What is the problem 00:30:31.099 --> 00:30:31.779 in this world? 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:34.000 All of us in this room. 00:30:36.379 --> 00:30:37.879 And it tells us 00:30:37.879 --> 00:30:38.899 that our problem 00:30:38.899 --> 00:30:40.200 is so great 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:41.659 that we cannot 00:30:41.659 --> 00:30:43.079 solve it ourselves. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:45.339 We can't look 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:46.059 to what other people 00:30:46.059 --> 00:30:46.460 look to. 00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:47.059 We can't look 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:47.920 to politicians. 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:50.200 We can't look 00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:51.220 to progress 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:52.360 in laws. 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:53.900 We can't look 00:30:53.900 --> 00:30:54.819 to entertainers. 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:55.900 We can't look 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:56.559 to universities 00:30:56.559 --> 00:30:57.960 or the right teaching 00:30:57.960 --> 00:30:59.079 because we're not 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:00.400 powerful enough 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:02.019 to fix ourselves. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:05.240 We actually need 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:06.680 someone more powerful. 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:08.079 We need 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.240 a divine solution. 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:13.059 And so Paul 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:13.880 is telling us 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:15.400 that exact thing here. 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:17.460 we're the problem 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:19.259 and what is God's 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:19.820 solution? 00:31:20.820 --> 00:31:22.000 It is his wrath. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:24.380 That is how evil 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:25.259 is destroyed 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:27.540 once and for all. 00:31:28.040 --> 00:31:29.340 But here's the catch. 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:32.259 It's not just his wrath 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.120 on the world. 00:31:33.780 --> 00:31:35.100 It's his wrath 00:31:35.100 --> 00:31:36.180 on Jesus Christ. 00:31:36.180 --> 00:31:38.900 And so, 00:31:39.560 --> 00:31:41.080 we can live 00:31:41.080 --> 00:31:41.740 in God's 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:42.680 new and perfect 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:43.299 world 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:44.880 if Jesus 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:46.320 took the wrath 00:31:46.320 --> 00:31:47.500 for us. 00:31:49.100 --> 00:31:50.460 That's the question 00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:52.220 for every single person. 00:31:53.360 --> 00:31:54.620 Are you 00:31:54.620 --> 00:31:55.279 covered 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:56.360 by 00:31:56.360 --> 00:31:57.320 his 00:31:57.320 --> 00:31:58.140 blood? 00:31:58.140 --> 00:31:59.140 God's wrath 00:31:59.140 --> 00:32:02.420 is God 00:32:02.420 --> 00:32:04.280 the justifier 00:32:04.280 --> 00:32:05.100 of you? 00:32:06.560 --> 00:32:07.759 Did Jesus 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:08.800 receive 00:32:08.800 --> 00:32:10.259 God's wrath 00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:11.520 on your 00:32:11.520 --> 00:32:12.460 behalf? 00:32:13.820 --> 00:32:15.040 That's our hope 00:32:15.040 --> 00:32:16.080 and our only hope. 00:32:17.040 --> 00:32:17.880 It's your only hope 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:18.840 if you're a Christian. 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:21.400 It's your only hope 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:22.100 if you're religious. 00:32:22.300 --> 00:32:22.980 It's your only hope 00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:23.780 if you're not religious. 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:26.279 The question is this. 00:32:26.859 --> 00:32:27.839 Will you receive it? 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:31.980 You must 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:32.799 receive it 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:33.440 by faith 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:34.839 if you want 00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:35.420 to be covered 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:36.819 by the blood. 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:38.779 And so, 00:32:38.839 --> 00:32:39.980 that's why we sing now. 00:32:40.379 --> 00:32:40.940 What can wash 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:41.839 away my sin? 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:43.000 Nothing 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:43.799 but the blood 00:32:43.799 --> 00:32:44.299 of Jesus. 00:32:45.059 --> 00:32:46.200 What can make me 00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:46.980 whole again? 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:48.079 Nothing 00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:49.200 but the blood 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:50.119 of Jesus. 00:32:50.839 --> 00:32:51.359 Let's pray. 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:53.919 Our Father 00:32:53.919 --> 00:32:54.339 in Heaven, 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:55.359 we do 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:56.219 thank you 00:32:56.219 --> 00:32:57.379 and praise you 00:32:57.379 --> 00:32:58.000 for your great 00:32:58.000 --> 00:32:58.959 provision in Jesus 00:32:58.959 --> 00:32:59.479 Christ 00:32:59.479 --> 00:33:01.119 who took 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:01.740 the punishment 00:33:01.740 --> 00:33:03.179 that we deserve, 00:33:03.299 --> 00:33:04.019 who satisfied 00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:05.159 your wrath 00:33:05.159 --> 00:33:05.740 on the cross 00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:06.399 and we thank you 00:33:06.399 --> 00:33:07.119 for your wrath 00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:08.559 because it means 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:09.479 that you refuse 00:33:09.479 --> 00:33:10.599 to let evil 00:33:10.599 --> 00:33:11.279 win. 00:33:11.919 --> 00:33:12.599 That you will 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:14.000 destroy the cancer 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:15.459 that is eating 00:33:15.459 --> 00:33:16.219 the insides 00:33:16.219 --> 00:33:17.059 of the human race. 00:33:17.479 --> 00:33:18.179 We ask that you 00:33:18.179 --> 00:33:18.939 would be at work 00:33:18.939 --> 00:33:19.579 in our lives 00:33:19.579 --> 00:33:20.539 in a powerful way 00:33:20.539 --> 00:33:21.659 that we would 00:33:21.659 --> 00:33:22.980 see and recognize 00:33:22.980 --> 00:33:23.799 and trust 00:33:23.799 --> 00:33:24.399 and believe 00:33:24.399 --> 00:33:25.519 and follow you 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:26.539 and you alone. 00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:28.139 And we ask these things 00:33:28.139 --> 00:33:29.019 in the mighty name 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:29.879 of Jesus Christ. 00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:30.480 Amen.